 |
|
Informal STEM Sees Big Victories in Recent Federal Policy Activity
|
Several bills currently being discussed in the United States Congress have potential implications for afterschool, and specifically informal STEM occurring in afterschool and summer settings. The Afterschool Alliance has published a detailed blog article providing a good summary of current activity in Congress that makes hopeful progress towards strengthening funding to informal STEM across the country.
Read the blog on the Afterschool Alliance website.
|
|
Iowa Child Care Development Fund Plan Officially Accepted by Federal Health and Human Services
|
With the passage of the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) of 2014, each state was required to submit three-year plans to the federal Administration for Children and Families under the Health and Human Services agency that detail the child care services and programs available to children and families of the state.
The Office of Child Care under the Administration for Children and Families asked each state to develop a plan based upon their reasonable interpretation of the new legislation, pending final regulations. Iowa's plan has been approved and can be viewed here.
Implementation of the plan is detailed in official rules approved by the state government. A notice of adopted rules will be available soon. Check rules bulletins weekly at www.legis.iowa.gov/law/administrativerules/bulletinsupplementlistings.
For questions regarding Iowa's plan, please contact the Iowa Department of Human Services.
|
|
National Afterschool Association Announces the Expert Hub
|
The Need: NAA members are often looking for expert help across a range of areas, from strategic planning and professional development, to fundraising and workshop facilitation. They currently rely on informal recommendations from their personal and professional networks. However, this process often takes too long, requires a lot of effort and rarely sources the best or most cost-effective expert options. At the same time, there are many expert professionals who bring deep expertise and experiences in areas relevant to the out-of-school time (OST) community, and are looking for ways to access project opportunities more widely.
The NAA Solution: The NAA Expert Hub is designed to meet these needs. It will offer organizations providing afterschool, OST, and expanded learning services a quick, reliable and affordable way to connect with experts to enable organizational learning and development and address critical short-term needs. The NAA Expert Hub will also provide expert professionals with an easy way to learn about rewarding short-term opportunities with NAA member organizations and demonstrate their knowledge and skills.
Key Dates: - June 23: Expert sign-up begins. To apply to join the expert network, click here.
- July 26: NAA Expert Hub launch. Organizations can begin listing projects and connect with experts to enable organizational learning and development and address critical short-term needs.
For more information on the National Afterschool Association, visit their website at http://naaweb.org/.
|
|
Child Care Assistance Program Changes
|
What is the Child Care Assistance Program? Child Care Assistance (CCA) is a program available to the children of income-eligible parents who are absent for a portion of the day due to employment or participation in academic or vocational training. Assistance may also be available for a limited period of time to the children of a parent looking for employment.
What are the changes? The changes include:
- Moving from a 6-month to a 12-month certification period
- Allowing for temporary changes in work, education and training activities
- Allowing more time for job search activities for families currently receiving Child Care Assistance
- The new Child Care Assistance Plus (CCA Plus) Program
- A higher payment rate for QRS Level 5 child care providers
The Iowa Department of Human Services has made a video for parents outlining these new rules. Parents may access the video using the following link: https://dhs.iowa.gov/child-care.
How can you help?
Please share information about the changes with families in your program that may be on the CCA Program. Here is a document that provides a ¼ sheet handout that you can give parents in your program. The handout provides an overview of the changes to the Child Care Assistance Program and information about the recorded video.
For more information from the Child Care Division of the Iowa Department of Human Services, please visit their website at http://dhs.iowa.gov/node/1003.
|
|
Grants Available to Educational Organizations
|
The Voya Foundation supports nonprofit organizations addressing a variety of community needs and resources. The foundation maintains the following two giving priorities:
- Financial education: The Voya Foundation is especially interested in programming that empowers individuals, particularly young people and minorities, to take control of their financial futures through education, financial literacy, and financial planning.
- Children's education: The foundation is committed to supporting and improving education for youth in kindergarten through grade 12, especially children in underserved areas or facing economic disadvantages.
Eligible applicants are 501(c)(3) organizations. All funding requests must be submitted online; the foundation does not accept hardcopy or mailed proposals. Grants are awarded at $2,500 and above. Find out more about this opportunity online.
|
 The Iowa Mentoring Partnership is conducting a survey designed to gather information about the agencies that run mentoring programs and the details of those programs and the youth they serve.
The information gathered in this survey will play a vital role in supporting and expanding the mentoring movement by helping to: - Improve the ability to raise public awareness about mentoring and increase investment in mentoring by the public and private sectors.
- Better understand the needs and challenges of the field so that we can provide relevant tools, resources, and technical assistance.
- Identify gaps in the services offered in communities, as well as underserved populations, so that we might more effectively close the mentoring gap.
- Support new research projects and rigorous evaluations that can demonstrate the impact of mentoring on both policy goals and the lives of individual children.
The information will be beneficial to your program by providing information that will help MENTOR and your local Mentoring Partnership tailor services, support, and training more directly to your needs. Please complete the survey by August 10.
Survey FAQ
Survey Link |
Great PD Opportunity for Early Grade Educators
|
The Iowa Afterschool Alliance is co-sponsoring the Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children (IAEYC) Early Care and Education Fall Institute September 29 - October 1, 2016 at Prairie Meadows Conference Center in Altoona, Iowa. This conference is a great professional development opportunity for afterschool leaders and staff that serve early elementary grades.
Topics of interest for school-age afterschool and summer providers include:
- Grant Writing
- Active Investigation
- Supporting Dual Language Learners
- Powerful Mentoring Interactions
- Poverty Simulation
- Family Engagement
- Teaching Science through Inquiry
- Much More!
|
|
Afterschool Grants to be Released in September
|
 Something to look forward to in the new school year! 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant funding will be released for a new round of competition in September 2016. Be on the lookout for information via the Iowa Afterschool Alliance.
Once again, the IAA and the Iowa Department of Education will host several grant workshops to prepare organizations to submit a proposal for funding. Mark your calendars for September 22, 2016 in Davenport, Iowa, for one of these workshops in conjunction with an all-day professional development mini-conference.
For more information on 21st Century Community Learning Centers funding, visit the Iowa Department of Education website.
|
|
Follow IAA on Facebook for Latest Updates
|
 Follow the Iowa Afterschool Alliance on Facebook at www.facebook.com/iowaafterschoolalliance for the latest updates on the Every Student Succeeds Act (formerly No Child Left Behind), PD opportunities, IAA activities, and grant opportunities. Expect an update on an issue of interest every day! You can also follow us on Twitter by following @iowaafterschool.
|
|
SEDL Resources for Afterschool
|
Looking for resources on how to run a high-quality progr am? SEDL, an affiliate of the American Institutes for Research, has no-cost resources on lesson plans, practitioners' guides, and training toolkits. Visit the National Center for Quality Afterschool here: http://www.sedl.org/afterschool/. |
| Professional Development Opportunities |
Out of School Time Professional Development Center
The Out of School Time Professional Development Center provides Out of School Time training to OST professionals. The classes provide in-depth curriculum and certificates. If you or your staff are interested in signing up for courses visit the Out-of-School Time website. Check out the entire course catalog here.
Great Content on Y4Y!
You 4 Youth is a free online professional development site that is designed to support 21CCLC program staff, but is a valuable tool for any afterschool professional looking to build their skills! Recently, Y4Y has rolled out a whole module on literacy. Click here to register. Afterschool Alliance WebinarsThe Afterschool Alliance offers webinars on a wide range of topics, from policy and the new Every Student Succeeds Act, to STEM and Social-Emotional Learning. Find out more on their webinars website. Iowa Child Care Training RegistryFind professional development for school-age programming on the State of Iowa Child Care Training Registry on topics ranging from health and safety to developmentally appropriate programming. Find out more online.
CryptoClub Summer Leader Training Workshops
July 26 - 28, 2016; Chicago, IL
The workshops will provide background in the mathematics and cryptography content and give leaders a chance to experience CryptoClub games ad activities while discussing pedagogical issues of leading a program. No prior experience necessary to train as a leader.
For more information, visit www.math.uic.edu/CryptoClubProject.
Iowa 21st Century Community Learning Centers Mini-Conference
September 22, 2016; Davenport, IA Join your Iowa afterschool peers at this professional development opportunity in Davenport. Details to be released soon!
Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children Early Care and Education Fall Institute
September 29-October 1, 2016; Altoona, IA
This conference is a great professional development opportunity for afterschool leaders and staff that serve early elementary grades.
Topics of interest for school-age afterschool and summer providers include:
- Grant Writing
- Active Investigation
- Supporting Dual Language Learners
- Powerful Mentoring Interactions
- Poverty Simulation
- Family Engagement
- Teaching Science through Inquiry
- Much More!
Beyond School Hours Conference
February 22 - 25, 2017; Atlanta, GA
Get big ideas for immediate results. Take home skills, tools and a renewed passion for improving learning outcomes for young people across the entire day.
For more information and to register, visit the conference website at http://www.foundationsinc.org/beyond-school-hours-xx.
National AfterSchool Association Convention
March 19 - 22, 2017; Dallas, TX
NAA's Annual Convention delivers exceptional learning and networking opportunities for every participant. With inspirational keynote speakers, more than 150 engaging workshops and unique networking events, Convention is the premier event for afterschool and out-of-school time professionals. - See more at: http://naaweb.org/attend#sthash.M2U3vxZB.dpuf
For more information and to register, visit the convention website at http://naaweb.org/convention.
Iowa Impact After School Conference
Save the Date! April 27 & 28, 2017; Des Moines
|
Along with various other resources, the IAA maintains a list of grants that afterschool programs may access. Check out our Resources Page on our website www.iowafterschoolalliance.org/resources for more information.
|
|
|
|
|
|
